ROSEMONT, Ill.   – The Maryland women's basketball team was selected to win the Big Ten title in its first year in the conference by both the league's head coaches and the Big Ten media voting panel. Sophomore Lexie Brown was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team Thursday.

Michigan State was picked to finish second in the league by both the 14 head coaches and the media voting panel. The head coaches selected Iowa to finish third and the media selected Nebraska. Both groups selected Minnesota's Rachel Banham as the league's Preseason Player of the Year.

Brown was one of six players named to the media's Preseason All-Big Ten team, along with Samantha Logic (Iowa), Rachel Banham (Minnesota), Amanda Zahui B. (Minnesota), Rachel Theriot (Nebraska) and Ameryst Alston (Ohio State).

Maryland is coming off its second NCAA Final Four appearance under head coach Brenda Frese and fifth overall, defeating top-seeded Tennessee and winning at No. 3 Louisville along the way. The Terrapins went 28-7 on the year last season and return three of the team's top five scorers in Brown and fellow sophomores Brionna Jones and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough.

In her rookie season, Brown averaged 10.1 points per game and 4.2 assists. She shot 43 percent from the field in 30 starts on the year. She was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List last season as a freshman and the All-ACC Freshmen Team. Her performance in the Terps' run to the NCAA Final Four earned her a spot on the All-Regional Team in Louisville.

Maryland is 44-29 (.603) all-time against its 2014-15 Big Ten opponents and is 12-4 (.750) against them in Frese's 12 years. She is 24-10 (.706) all-time vs. Big Ten opponents.

In her one season coaching in the Big Ten (2001-02), Frese led Minnesota to a record of 22-8 overall, 11-5 in Big Ten play and an NCAA Tournament berth. She was named Associated Press National Coach of the Year in April 2002.

For the Terrapins' 2014 schedule, log on to umterps.com.

For ticket information for the 2014-15 season, log on to the Terrapin Ticket Office online umterps.com or call 1-800-IM-A-TERP. Season tickets for the Final Four Terrapins are now on sale at $75 each.

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